For the First Time, Again
by zacefronlvr14
Summary: Maybe that's all we needed. A starry night, sand beneath our feet, and a shoulder to lean on.


Never in a thousand years did I think I would ever see Troy again, never did I think in a thousand years that I would see Troy at our old elementary school's playground again. It was a cold night, but he wore his usual dark blue jeans, a black hoodie, and white and black Converse shoes. Our last encounter ended with the same outfit, an angry slam to the door, and Troy telling me that he never wanted to speak to me again. That didn't change the fact he still looked beautiful as ever. Troy had a lanky, yet fit figure, sandy brown hair that would fall a little bit below his eyes, cerulean eyes that would change to a darker tone here and there and a crooked smile that made me swoon, whenever he did choose to do the rare act. To say I used to be obsessed over him would be an understatement. At one point in time, I thought I knew him inside, out. We lived across the street from each other growing up, we would walk home after school everyday, play together; hell our own families were close. There really was no Gabriella without Troy.

"What are you doing here?"

"Wow, not even a hello, Troy?" I sneered softly, hoping to gain some sort of reaction from him. The only reaction I received was a raised brow.

"Hi Gabriella," he smirked, but that smirk didn't last long until it was replaced with a dangerous glare. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Troy was known to have a sporadic temper. The smallest annoyance could set him off. He was especially known for his long string of foul words. Troy didn't have the easiest life growing up. His mom what a crackhead who left Troy to his grandparents. He resented her for it for the longest time, I'm sure he still does. It's kind of crazy though, he looks nothing like his mom from the very few times I've seen her. I've never seen his dad, since he's never been in the picture, but I can just about imagine he must be the spitting image of his dad. Although, without a doubt he loved his grandparents. They were his only family, his real family.

"This is public property. I have a right to be here, just as much as you do."

I was getting frustrated with why he was getting on my case about this. I came and sat in these swings, every weekend since Amelia got diagnosed. Then it hit me, Troy didn't know. I lost contact with Troy three years ago. It had been three years since I broke his trust and had been cut off from his life. Ironically enough, three weeks after our fight, we found out that my five year old baby sister had been diagnosed with leukemia. I hadn't told anybody, especially given the circumstance that Troy was my only friend in school. Majority of people thought I left to be homeschooled because I didn't have Troy to take care of me from the bullies, since Troy had dropped me completely. Everyone had eventually heard about what happened between us, because after all Alberqurque was a small town.

"I don't know _Gabi_ , I've been here quite enough times to know that on Friday's I come here. Everyone knows that."

"Okay, drama king my bad. I didn't know you marked anything besides your prospects as properties...and don't call me that."

"Oh fuck off, Gabi." He muttered, stumbling onto the swing next to me.

I'm not sure what part of my response he was referring to. But he didn't deserve to call me that. He didn't know me like that anymore and I didn't know him like that anymore. However, I'd be lying if I said that it didn't make my chest tighten when I heard him say that.

"Are you drunk?" I whispered, looking at the sand next to his shoes.

He was silent for a moment before he groaned. "Why does it matter to you Gabriella?"

"Nevermind." I wasn't in the right mindset to talk about whatever it was we were going to. Not tonight, not after what I had found out just hours ago. I got up to grab my bag and leave.

"Gabriella, wait." Troy's voice broke out which brought me to a halt. I didn't have the guts to look at him, because I already had tears welling up. Why was he telling me to wait? Why isn't he encouraging me to leave. "Fuck, just-just sit down." I finally turned around to look at him and obliged. We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

"Um, I didn't mean to snap earlier I just...really wasn't ready to see you, I guess."

"Yeah, it was a surprise to see you too."

"I heard about Amelia, Gabriella." My head snapped up. "I'm sorry. But, I don't understand why you didn't tell me?"

"The last thing you said to me Troy was that you never wanted to talk to me again, so I don't really know what you want me to say." I could feel his posture tense.

"Right." This was stupid, what were we even doing. This wasn't going to end well.

"Um, grams is in the hospital. She had a stroke." That, I did not know. It didn't make sense. We lived across from them, but I also wouldn't be surprised of us not knowing, our family was never home. We were always at the hospital.

"Troy, is she.." I faltered while touching his hand.

"No, no she's fine. She's fine. It was a minor one, thank god. She's getting rest."

I couldn't help but feel angry that he hadn't told me about this. He only ever had his grandparents and no one else, the thought of losing them scared me, I can't imagine how much more scary it felt for Troy.

"Why didn't you tell me? Or my parents? We could've helped, we could've done som-" I stopped short, forming his silent response, or lack thereof. He felt just as trapped as I did. "I missed you." His head snapped up in my direction. His eyes looked so sincere and you could see the pain in his eyes from a mile away. Troy never really was good at masking his feelings.

"I missed you too," he admitted. "But I have to ask Gabriella, why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you tell my grandparents about my mom?"

I fucking hated his mom. She shouldn't even have the right to be called his mom. His mother had guilted her way back into his life, only to ask him for more money in order to feed her addiction. He went back to God knows where with her, with no trace of where he was, where he was going, or what he was going to do. His grandparents and my family almost went to report him as missing. I was the only one who knew what was happening, but at the time I thought, who was I to interfere Troy's relationship with his mother? Even if she was one manipulative bitch. I knew I couldn't hold in my tongue any longer when I saw him come home with a bruise on his upper arm and a small burn on his hip. And those weren't accidental bruises and burns. I wasn't going to let anything else harm the boy I fell for. He saw me as a monster for separating his mother away from him, but I didn't care.

"She was fucking hurting you, Troy. I wasn't going to let her do that to you. You, you were so young and naive and she-she didn't fucking care Troy," I had to stop talking in order to get ahold of myself and my emotions. I had bitten of his name with a lump that was forming at the back of my throat. I never had the chance to explain. I never wanted him to end up like his mother; bitter, angry, drunk, addicted. I never wanted that for him. He already had a terrible childhood. Troy was a great guy and it broke my heart that he had to go through everything he did. "I-I couldn't lose you to her Troy, not to her."

I lost it, right there and then, turning my head away from him. It hadn't crept up on me how much I missed him. He was practically my other half and seeing him there after so long and so unexpectedly made my heart burst.

"You always watched out for me Gabriella, even when I told you not to." He had put his hand on top of mine, and started rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb.

"You were my best friend, what did you expect you dickwad?" I cut out bitterly. He let out a small laugh, it was nice. It wasn't mocking or daunting, it was sincere and shy.

"I shouldn't have said those things to you Gabriella, I should've let you explain. Maybe then we wouldn't be in this situation. And honestly, being right here with you, at our place, it's like I'm seeing the Gabriella from kindergarten all over again. Gray sweats, braids, and everything."

His words were able to get a quiet sob out of me. Asshole. He got out of his seat on the swing and squatted in front of me, grabbing my hands, and looking at them. "I'm sorry Gabi, I'm really sorry." He muttered. For lost time, for lost questions, for not being there for each other when we really needed it.

I just looked at him, dazed and taking him in. Troy Bolton. Troy. He was still my Troy. I let out a small lopsided smile. A really wet and ugly one probably at that. He replied back with a small gesture, being his smile. When he sat back on the swing, I hesitantly laid my head on his shoulder looking at the ground below us. He didn't seemed to resist. I closed my eyes. Progress. A lot of things were being left unsaid at that moment, but maybe that's what we needed at that moment. A starry night, sand beneath our feet, and a shoulder to lean on.


End file.
